A pivotal game for Leicester City takes place Monday, October 3 as they take on rivals Nottingham Forest.
Leicester currency sits in last place in the Premier League while Forest is sitting just above them at nineteenth. After the embarrassing defeat we suffered to Forest last season and the situation we are in now, this is simply a must-win game. A lackluster start to the season has caused The Foxes to drop points they can’t afford to drop.
These dropped points have been caused by a plethora of issues. One of the key contributors to this has been poor play from certain players. With the team heading into a must-win game, Brendan Rodgers needs to select 11 players who will give it their all and get us three points. Some players will give that energy while some players will not. Here are three players Leicester City should drop vs Nottingham Forest.
Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City
Coming to the end of the 19/20 Premier League season, Wilfred Ndidi was on the scene as one of the best defensive midfielders in the league; if not the world. He could mark up any man and would have a heat-map from across the whole pitch. However, that has not been the Ndidi we’ve seen this season.
It all started with a poor position change from Rodgers. Ndidi would play a couple of games at centreback where he was horrendous. Even with a switch back to his natural position, he’s been poor. Our midfield has been too open to counterattacks, he’s given up goals on set pieces, and he hasn’t been able to pass the ball to save his life. With a team that has a poor defensive backline to start the season, we need a defensive midfielder to be the heart of the defense. Ndidi has not been that player this season.
Danny Ward
Danny Ward was placed in a tough situation this season as he was asked to replace the boots of LCFC legend Kasper Schmeichel. Unfortunately for Ward, he hasn’t been able to live up to the task. The Welsh goalkeeper has currently allowed more goals than he’s gotten saves this season.
With Leicester conceding 22 goals in their first seven games, something needs to change and that change should be Ward. Too many times he is way out of position and his distribution of the ball has been absolutely abysmal. You can see the players lose their confidence when Ward is in goal.
The clearest example of this is when Ward and Ndidi broke out into an argument on the pitch. Until proven otherwise, Ward has simply been a liability for Rodgers’ team this year.
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy is without a doubt the most respected player on the team. He is a club legend that is going to get a statue in front of the King Power Stadium one day. However, Vardy needs to be on the bench heading into this must-win game. Despite not starting the previous two outings, Rodgers should perhaps reconsider reinstating the No.9 to the lineup if he is doing so.
The Foxes have been fortunate to have three EPL quality strikers on their team. Vardy is the main man joined by Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho. Out of those three strikers, Vardy has been the worst this season. When in the game, Iheanacho provided the team with creativity on the ball. He’s shown us great build-up play and finishing as well. Daka has provided speed up top which has led to openings in counterattacks. While these two strikers have provided for us on the attack, Vardy has yet to do so. With a game this important to the season, we can’t rely on “experience” up top. That’s why one of the other two strikers should start over Vardy.